Is organized sports betting coming to Florida? Tallahassee is talking about it.

It may be the ultimate legislative session wild card, but House and Senate leaders confirmed Monday they are engaged in an effort to reach a deal with the governor that would update Florida’s gambling laws by allowing organized sports betting and bring in new revenue from the Seminole Tribe. More from the Tampa Bay Times and the Miami Herald.

Super Bowl week has begun in Miami, and local officials are already looking forward to the next one in South Florida

Super Bowl week is finally here. We’re six days away from the record 11th Super Bowl in Miami, and game officials are ecstatic about this week’s events and activities leading up to Sunday’s grand spectacle. They’re even excited the experience they provide locals and visitors this week could lead to another Super Bowl in the area in the next five to seven years, too. [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]

As South Florida warms, a cold-blooded invader takes over

Snowbirds—a sometimes-affectionate, sometimes-derisive term for transplants from colder climates—have populated Florida for decades, seeking its warm weather, verdant golf courses and generous lack of income tax. Iguanas have been doing the same, at least for two of those reasons. With increasingly rare winter cold snaps, the reptilian menace has multiplied, threatening the native wildlife of Florida and carrying lethal bacteria such as salmonella [Source: Bloomberg]

Gas prices in Florida take a tumble

After three weeks of erratic and unusually high gasoline prices from the start of the year, the average cost of a gallon of gasoline tumbled over the past week. According to AAA — The Auto Club Group, this week is beginning with gas costing an average of $2,45 a gallon in Florida, down 8 cents since last week. And the decline is expected to continue over the next couple of weeks, following an unusually high spike in gasoline prices at the end of 2019 and the start of 2020. [Source: Florida Politics]

Industry calls on Florida lawmakers to reform lawsuit abuse

Florida lawmakers are considering a number of insurance-focused issues over the course of the 60-day 2020 Legislative Session that started Jan. 14. At the top of the list for industry and consumer advocates are reforms to curb what they say are abuses of the state’s legal system that are hurting insurers’ bottom line. The issue is of particular importance to industry stakeholders in light of recent news about financial issues in the state’s insurance market. [Source: Insurance Journal]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Water wars: Supreme Court gives Georgia, Florida 45 days to respond [AJC]
Justices appeared Monday to lay the groundwork for what would be a second round of oral arguments before the Supreme Court in Florida’s long-running water rights case against Georgia. The court issued a notice granting both states 45 days to respond to a recommendation recently issued by the case’s expert adjudicator, New Mexico-based federal Judge Paul Kelly, as well as time to counter one another’s arguments in subsequent legal briefs.

› Fort Myers artificial intelligence-focused firm buys marketing and PR agency [Business Observer]
Vectra Digital, a marketing and web design agency, has completed its acquisition of iPartnerMedia, Inc., a digital marketing firm and public relations agency. Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed. "We're very excited about this winning combination and the future of digital marketing,” says Vectra Digital CEO Matt Bernhardt.

› Jacksonville’s Cecil Spaceport is counting down to ‘liftoff’ [Florida Times-Union]
The plans for Cecil Spaceport have long been in the making, but there’s been little visible progress of space operations at the former U.S. naval air station on Jacksonville’s Westside. But 2020 promises to be a threshold year, according to officials overseeing the development.

› New COO of Sarasota restaurant group brings lessons from entertainment giant [Business Observer]
For many, Thanksgiving means enjoying a combination of turkey, family, cranberry sauce, football, stuffing and a post-meal nap. For Michelle Schlingmann, COO of Sarasota-based American Dreams Restaurant Group, last Thanksgiving involved something entirely different. That day, she showed up ready to work at the restaurants the company operates, including Duval’s Fresh Local Seafood, Element Modern Grill and Plaza Bistro 'n' Tavern.

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› Pizza Hut is giving away 30,000 pizzas in Miami during Super Bowl Week [Miami Herald]
Want free pizza? Look for a Pizza Hut-themed Ford F250 truck, scooter or bike this week in Miami. The pizza chain says it’s giving away nearly 30,000 free pizza slices Thursday through Sunday in more than a dozen popular areas in Miami including Wynwood Walls, Little Havana and the University of Miami.

› Sarasota lawyer launches own firm after 94-year-old practice shuts down [Business Observer]
Like any good lawyer, Bill Robertson knows how to turn a problem into an opportunity. That’s how Robertson, 60, ended up opening his own law firm earlier this month, The Robertson Law Firm PA, after spending his entire career at one practice, Kirk-Pinkerton.

› Climate change is threatening sports stadiums and arenas, and teams like the Miami Dolphins are battling back [CNBC]
Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium will host about 65,000 fans on Super Bowl Sunday. While the biggest battle in football will last just one evening, the fight that stadium faces from the effects of climate change will go on indefinitely. It is not alone. Teams and stadiums across country are dealing with flooding, extreme storms, excessive heat and smoke from wildfires.

› Phone passcode dispute goes to Florida Supreme Court [My Panhandle]
Attorney General Ashley Moody’s office has gone to the Florida Supreme Court in a dispute about authorities seeking to force a criminal defendant to turn over a passcode to a cell phone. Moody’s office filed a notice this week that is a first step in asking the Supreme Court to take up the issue, after a panel of the 1st District Court of Appeal sided with a defendant in an Alachua County robbery case.